Bundeswehr Increases Marketing At Professional Sports Clubs To Attract Recruits

Germany's armed forces, called Bundeswehr, "are fighting for recruits and increasingly advertise at professional sports clubs," according to the AFP. The defense ministry said that the Bundeswehr spent about €453,000 for recruitment advertising in sports in '13. That was 80% more than in '12, when the army spent about €253,000 on such efforts. The advertising measures "included signage inside stadiums, ads in club magazines and video clips that air during halftime." The "majority of the money went to football clubs." The club that "made the most money was Bundesliga side Hannover 96," which received €65,000 from the Bundeswehr. Left party member Ulla Jelpke "criticized the measures." She said, "The Bundeswehr is massively pushing into the sports world to attract recruits within fans. Every club should closely examine if it really wants to ask its fans to endure Bundeswehr advertisements" (AFP, 8/20).